Though he's only in his early 30s, Mustafa Avci, the owner of Salon M in Brooklyn, New York, has a devoted legion of online fans — and big plans for the future. Specializing in one-of-a-kind styling creations and chic hair artistry, he’s making waves in the industry by bringing classic Hollywood glamour, à la Marilyn Monroe, back into the forefront of trends.
Working with everyone from Turkish movie stars to Instagram’s rising up-and-coming artists, here’s how he went from a being a young visionary in the Big Apple to one of the hottest names in the world of hair.
A Creative Space of His Own
After 11 years working at his uncle’s friend’s salon, a 23-year-old Mustafa took a job at another salon in New York City. “People already knew my name and working in New York City is everyone’s dream come true. I started working there, but after three months, I started feeling the need to open up my own salon, and do things the way I wanted,” he says.
When Mustafa opened up his own salon, Salon M, it was at first a place where clients could get “regular cuts and colors,” Mustafa says. While he provided the usual services typically provided at a salon, it wasn’t until his Instagram became popular that people started to take notice of Mustafa’s uniquely creative looks.
“Instagram started and people could see what you were capable of doing. Once they started seeing my work, [clients] said, ‘You can do this?’ They never allowed me to do it before; they thought I was too young to be doing vintage styles from the olden days. I started focusing on that [old-school look] so much more and showing my work a lot so that little by little, I got a lot of people’s interest on social media,” he says.
Continue reading how Mustafa has made waves in the industry in our August digital edition!
Images courtesy of Mustafa Avci
